The present customs of tho Oraon have been derived from the Mundah, and differ therefore from those of the Rajmahali people, whose isolated position has preserved their ancient ceremonies. The Oraon, when driven from the Ithotas Hills, brought with them to the plateau largo herds of cattle, and implements of husbandry previously unknown to the Mundah. The Orson have no gardens or orchards belonging to individual houses, but they have some fine trees, common property, within the village, and outside their groves of fruit-trees form a beautiful feature of Chutia Nagpur scenery.
The Oraon and the Mundah are in tribes, and both are exogamic, not marrying in their own tribe. Also the tribal or family names are usually those of animals or plants, and when such is the case, the flesh of some part of the animal or the fruit of the tree is the tribe called after it. Thus the Tirki must not eat Tirki (young mice) ; nor the Ekhar, the tortoise head ; nor the Kirpotas, the stomach of the pie ; nor the Lakrar, tiger's flesh ; nor the Kujrar, the oil from that tree, neither sit under its shadef; and so with the kite, the crow, the eel, etc.
The young people form attachments, but the elders go through the form of selecting the bride already fixed on by the youth. The marriage ceremony represents their former custom of cap ture. The bridegroom's party comes to the bride's village in arms, real or imitation. The young men of the bride's village turn out, also armed, to repel the invasion, and, after a little show, a dance forms, during which the couple are each carried astride on the hips of a friend. A bower is constructed in front of the residence of the bride's father, into which the bride and bride groom are carried by women, and made to stand on a curry-stone, under which is placed a sheaf of corn, resting on a plough yoke. Hero the Sindur dan is performed, but carefully screened from view, first by cloths thrown over the young couple, secondly by a circle of their male friends, some of whom hold up a screen cloth, while others keep guard with weapons upraised, and look very fierce, as if they had been told off to cut down intruders, and were quite prepared to do so. The bridegroom stands on the curry-stone
behind tho bride, but in order that this may not be deemed a concession to the female, his toes are so placed as to tread on her heels. In the mar riages of the Oraon, a public recognition that the couple have slept together is a part of the cere mony. Mundah and Oraon marriages as a rule are not contracted until both bride and bride groom are of mature age, the young people often making love and suiting themselves.
Girls form sisterly attachments with each other ; interchanging a flower, each becomes gui to other. They speak of each other as my gut or my flower. Oraon girls in childhood are tattooed with three marks on the brow and two on each temple. When about to grow up, they further tattoo themselves on the arms and back. Young men in the Dhumkuria bum marks on their forearms.
Immediately in front of the Dhumkuria is the dancing arena, called Akhra, an open circus about forty feet in diameter, with a stone or a post marking its centre. It is surrounded by seats for tired dancers or non-dancing spectators, and shaded by fine old' tamarind trees, that give a picturesque effect to the animated scene, and afford in their gigantic stems convenient screens for moonlight or starlight flirtations. During the festive seasons of the year, dancing at the Akhra commences shortly after dark every night, and if the supply of the home-brew hold out, is often kept up till sunrise.
The Oraon worship the sun under the name of Dharmi, as the creator and preserver, and offer white animals to him in sacrifice. Dam, worshipped by the Oraon and Mundah of Chutia Nagpur, is a carved stick, stuck up where the great jatras are held, or in the village dancing-place and is wor shipped with much revel and with much drunkenness amongst the old, and dancing and love-making amongst the young.—Dalton, pp. 134, 198 ; Campbell, pp. 22, 39.